Smart TVs are essentially regular TVs that have built-in capabilities for connecting to the Internet, which is why they’re also known as Internet-ready TVs. While this feature can be useful, the real question is whether or not these TVs are worth the price for what they bring.

And smart TVs have been one of the worst offenders over the past few years. In short, smart TVs can put your privacy and security at risk in a handful of ways, but the most damning example is that smart TV cameras could be used to spy on innocent people.

2. Great Idea, Terrible Execution

If there’s one reason that should dissuade you from buying a smart TV today, let it be this one: the ideas behind the smart TV are great, but smart TVs themselves are not the right way to implement those ideas. Given a few more years, smart TV technology will be completely obsolete.

Yet while this idea is revolutionary, smart TVs have fallen short in idea execution. Primitive TV interfaces and lackluster apps are two big reasons behind the execution failure — and we’ll explore both of those failings down below — but they aren’t the key issue.

Consider this: your smartphone can do everything that a smart TV can do. Using a Chromecast, for example, you can watch almost any kind of streamed media on your smartphone and “cast” it onto your TV, even if that TV isn’t a smart TV.

At the end of the day, a TV should have one purpose: displaying images to the screen. It shouldn’t concern itself with what it can display, as that should be determined by what you plug into the TV. (In other words, a TV should be a glorified monitor and nothing more.)

3. Smart TVs Lack Smart Interfaces

Smart functionality requires a smart interface. Smartphones and computers are great because they both support two important input methods: 1) typing and 2) pointing. Smart TVs are terrible at both, and this leads to a lot of frustration for users.

Or in other words, if you want to sit down and watch something on a smart TV, it’s actually a lot more work than you’d expect it to be. Not an impossible amount, but inconvenient at best.

One big example of this is when you want to search for a particular TV show or movie in an app like Netflix or Hulu. With a regular TV remote, typing is a hair-pulling affair that could take up to a dozen button presses per letter typed. I deal with this every day, and it never gets easier.

On the other hand, most streaming set-top boxes come with remotes that have voice-controlled searches or mobile apps that let you type out your searches with a smartphone or tablet. Much, much easier.

Smart TVs could solve this issue by implementing their own voice-controlled searches (still imperfect), or allowing for third-party keyboard attachments (not ideal), or switching to touchscreen keyboard input (more expensive). I’ll stick with my Roku, thank you very much.

4. TV Apps Are Crude & Unreliable

When smart TVs first debuted, one of their biggest selling points was the ability to download and install all kinds of apps right on the TV itself. Right now, my smart TV is equipped with apps for Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, TED Talks, and Spotify. Sounds useful, right?

Unfortunately, not only do all of these apps suffer the same issues that are inherent to TVs in general — namely poor interface design — but they also suffer from poor performance and neglect from app creators.

The processing power of a modern smart TV pales in comparison to the performance of modern smartphones and tablets. As such, it’s not uncommon to experience input lag when pressing buttons, freezes and crashes when apps try to do something intensive, and other performance-related issues.

Case in point, the Netflix app on my smart TV sometimes freezes when I want to exit out of it and the only solution is to wait several minutes or unplug it altogether. It doesn’t happen every day, but it happens often enough that it sticks out clearly in my mind.

Glitches are also regular fare. Whenever I play videos using the YouTube app on my smart TV, playback is always cut short by exactly one minute from the end. Yes, on every video. Not to mention that this app also experiences frequent freezes and crashes when trying to exit out of it.

These problems are to be expected, I think. Content providers have to juggle compatibility with a lot of potential outlets these days, including web players, smartphone apps, tablet apps, third-party devices like the Roku and Chromecast, and smart TVs. Which one do you think has the lowest priority?

Which brings up another potential issue: the usefulness of your smart TV is limited by the apps that are available for it, and if content providers stop updating their smart TV apps for whatever reason, your smart TV loses a big chunk of what makes it “smart”.

5. The Extra Features Aren’t Worth It

So what do you get when you shell out cash for a smart TV instead of a dumb TV? Well, if you exclude the Internet-capable apps that we discussed above, it turns out you don’t actually get that much.

One central remote. Every additional media device you hook up will likely require an additional remote control to juggle. Using a smart TV prevents that clutter. (A minor point, I know, but worth mentioning.)

Smart media playback. With Samsung, there’s a feature called Smart Link that lets you create a wireless connection and directly stream media files from your PC to your TV. Other brands may offer similar functionality under different names.

Web and games. TV apps are mainly for streaming media, but they can also be used to browse the Internet or play games. However, due to the poor interface and poor performance, you probably won’t be using a smart TV for either of these.

If you ask me, the features don’t justify the price. Now, how much can you stand to save by opting for a dumb TV over a smart TV? Well, let’s look at a middle-of-the-road option that’s currently available.

Obviously $33 isn’t a lot in the grand scheme, but you’d probably be better off saving that much and spending it on a $35 Chromecast or a $45 Roku Streaming Stick. If I could do it over again, that’s exactly what I’d do.

Are You Buying a Smart TV?

We aren’t necessarily trying to persuade you away from smart TVs. Rather, we just want you to know why we think smart TVs are no longer worth their investment (regardless of how small that investment might be in the big picture). If you still want one, more power to you. Go for it!

The next thing to consider is what type of TV screen do you want? If you want to buy an OLED TV, we have some recommendations.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Comment

Name *

Email *

Moe Curly Howard

March 4, 2019 at 1:11 pm

The article is a bit dated.
In case you haven't been keeping up, this generation of "SMART TVs" is amazingly cheap.
WHY?
Because your data is the moneymaker. It has come out now that selling your future data over and over is subsidizing the price.
My Sony TV has the wireless internet disconnected.
Yet it shows up on my network.
I had to block it on my router.
They want that data, bad.

Thank you for pointing out the necessary information. As an IT professional, I had already come to some of the same conclusions, so obviously we agree. I possibly don't watch a great deal of TV, but the surveillance concerns when it comes to my family are actually quite real and pertinent, and the last thing I need is an overcomplicated television bringing those same connected device concerns. Thank you for the article.

Thanks for the article . Presently i'm looking to cut cable tv out of my expenditures ; more because Direct tv is driving me crazy . Sometimes i get a bill for things i didn't order , then have to spend an hour ( at least ) on the phone with people from Jamaica , Philippines , etc. trying to correct the amount . Ridiculous and it has happened 15 or 20 times .
So where i'm at now is this ; keep my old tv , see if i can get a ROKU ( 3 wire type ) , ditch Direct tv , sign up for Netflix and Sling and wait patiently for technology to improve towards what people really want .
Wouldn't it be great if one could buy could buy a Flat screen , like a modem . Hook the Flat screen ( which is just a modem ) up to your tv & bang you have what i want .

Yeah, I think the technology for smart/internet TVs is just not "there" yet. Amazon has gotten smart by putting Firefox and Silk on their latest fire players (so web browsing is allowed I assume, haven't bought one). We need that, with a keyboard, and a good service like Roku that just fleeces the inet looking for video content. I was just using a cord from my PC to TV, but after recently buying a Roku, I see the benefits of a good media compiler - stuff I probably couldn't find by doing a search - that will eventually be on smart TVs. Generally speaking, I want my smart TV for my movies, series, sports, etc. watching and my laptop/desktop for my reading, writing, pics, docs, drawing, etc. (I.E. So, the need for a smart TV is there. Which is probably why Roku got into the smart TV business.)

Oh, just a sidenote, why does everybody talk about streaming their Pandora, Spotify, iHeart, to their television? I prefer to stream it to my STEREO (and use my laptop/desktop PC for music selection).

And smart TVs will probably get "perfected" before smart watches. I think we will be waiting a while on good smart watches.

This article is the funniest article I have ever read. This technology is implemented in almost every TV above 250 dollars. This article was and is so wrong. I enjoyed the laugh. Thanks for the free entertainment.

Agreed. This article is a bunch of nonsense. The work of someone who knows nothing but maybe had trouble adapting from turning knobs on their old tube TV to running apps on their smart TV.
Smart TVs are not only here, but are here to stay. One person's bad experience doesn't mean everyone else will agree and to follow suit. Smat TV Technology has evolved and matured. But even if it hasn't reached it's potential, it does not mean it's a failure.
Wanna talk about poor functionality that has never reached an acceptable level of maturity? Let's talk smartphones. Android can't even settle on 1 version across the entire platform of in service devices, including phones, TVs, Tablets, etc.... how about the fact that THIS of all things is a MAJOR fail when compared to Smart TVs, yet you don't see anyone writing off their smartphone and refusing to buy the next new model.
In fact, in general, pretty much ALL Smart devices are major trends, and smart TVs are near the top of that list

We purchased a new 55" TCL 4K Roku smart TV for $299.00 because the box had a dent in it and $299.00 was less than other 55" Dumb TV's that didn't get as many positive reviews. We understand this is a cheap TV but so far TV works and looks delightful. TV's built in Roku is not quite as feature friendly as our Roku Ultra 4640 players but has been streaming perfectly and for $299.00 we have not been disappointed and could always connect a Roku Ultra into an HDMI input.......

Dumbest advice I have seen on the web since bill gates was supposed to have said 640k of ram is enough. My hisense 75 inch 4k 60hz tv's netflix is brilliant and easy to use. What security problem you idiot? This isn't iot it is a tv. There are many small tvs up to 55 inch tvs for little money which are also smart tvs and easy to use. Joel Lee you are an idiot. The examples you point at by other idiot mud authors are 1 offs and irrelevant. You guys and gals dribble rubbish. Regularly. A Google search brought me here. I wonder how much you pay for that. My wife regularly points me to you and I have to tell her thanks but they are giving out wrong info.

Sony 4K Update: My tv works better with WIFI turned off in the house!
Still has problems syncing with the sony bluray player, following this though, so turning tv power socket off and on helps.
Why should we have machines we have no control over in the house - I have to sign in with a pass to use house Wifi with fone or computer, but with the new tvs it does itself, which is disturbing. You don't have access to turning off the connection either, whether or not you 'agree' to allowing Sony to read your tv habits and stuff you watch!

Sony 4k - slow on start up; slow with responses to remote buttons; sometimes no tv guide working; sometimes it loses sync with a Sony! BDS 7200 player (I took 1 unit back when first bought, thinking it was the player - remedied by cutting power to tv!)

OMG, I read your article at the perfect time! I literally was browsing for TVs and am buying one today! I definitely am buying a "dumb" tv! I've already got a Chromecast that I was using on my old TV that has crashed so am gonna save money thanks to you. Thankyou so much!!

i recently a vizio smart tv and for some odd reason the remote quits and i just used it the day b4. checked into a tech and they want $40.00 for an answer thats a rip off when the tv and all is on a 2 year plan. i like my smart tv it frees up my computer for other things :) i still plan to get another smart tv when on sale again ty

Good day. We purchased a Samsung 42 inch smart tv. I thought I would be able to cruise the internet. Nope.... you can look stuff up but don't try to play a video, I guess it does not have enough memory. Just lost Youtube, I think you tube changed and my smart TV cannot process it. I still like it. It is the first flat screen TV we have owned. But early on I learned its not that smart.....

Instead of avoiding TV with 'Smart TV' features, just ignore the Smart TV features when shopping for a new TV. The components are so inexpensive, it's basically a standard feature in all but the cheapest, bare bones TV which don't have the picture quality features you do want.

From Wirecutter.com's latest review and recommendations for buying a TV:
"Many people want a “dumb” TV that forgoes smart-TV features, since they plan to use a media streamer of their choice. Unfortunately, at this point almost any TV left available without those features is lacking in other important features. If you don’t want to use a set’s smart-TV features, you don’t have to, but actively trying to avoid a smart TV will give you a dumb TV with poor image quality. Also, since we were looking for the best TV, apps do matter, since few streaming devices support Ultra HD or WCG—integrated apps are often the only way to watch such content, especially if you’re streaming in Dolby Vision."

Thank you for this very informative article. I was thinking of buying a smart tv, and I wanted to know something about it when I came across your article. I am not very tech savvy, but was looking to upgrade the media center for the grandkids. I think I will just go with the ROKU stick for now. I do appreciate the fact that you were not trying to disuade me from buying a smart tv only to sell me something else.

Actually bought smart tv because it had ruko built in and I needed a new tv. Now, I'm sooo disappointed at the menu differences on amazon vs. the old ruko device. I'm thinking of purchasing a newer usb ruko and using it instead. The searching on the smart tv of amazon menu is quite different than the old one - its maddening. Has anyone else complained about this? Not sure I'm explaining it right; example: On my old ruko - Amazon menu let me search for mysteries, foreign films, etc. On my tv ruko now it can take hours to go through limited genres. etc etc

I went to buy a TV for our bedroom. The store had a 32 inch "smart" Roku on sale and I succumbed and bought it, and that was an extremely BIG MISTAKE. The TV stops mid program and I have to turn it off, turn it on again and the program again stops mid program and freezes. Since I purchased this TV I can count on one hand how many times I am able to watch a program completely to the end without the program stopping mid program and freezing. I was watching 60 Minutes tonight and the TV stopped and "froze" five times and I just gave up and went into the living room and watched TV on my "dumb" TV. I have learned my lesson and now I plan to buy a "dumb" TV for my bedroom and ditch the "smart" TV forever. I learned a valuable lesson - Never buy anything until it has been on the market for several years where it can be perfected. The Roku TV that I have is ready for the dump heap as far as I am concerned and I can't wait until I am financially able to replace it within the next couple of months. I cannot sell the "smart" TV because that would not be fair to anyone purchasing it, so I will just give it to charity but being honest and letting the recipient know WHY I am ditching it. .

Roku is not the only content provider. I use a little Blu-ray box which provides internet connection, I can watch both blue ray and dvds and on TV I can choose from Netflix, YouTube, Crackle and a variety of others, plus there is a web-browser with the bluray box where I can set up curiositystream, etc.

When buying a TV, I want the money to go towards the quality of a the picture entirely, not some of it towards an onboard slow computer I don't need. I have a computer plugged in and PS4 for that. And there's many other options for people. Even if they start making smart TVs that don't have slow as hell menus, they will be still no better than the things people have plugged in already.

I've just read as well that some smart tvs are inserting adverts into menus, and even into movies people own.

There c**ts will try and get away with whatever they can. It's only after public outcry they say 'oh sorry, we were just trying to improve the user experience' - not they're not, they're just trying to make extra cash, at the expense of annoying us.

And lets not forget the TVs that were spying on people (and will continue to do so.) They will keep doing it, and when enough people complain, they'll say 'sorry, we were just trying to improve the user experience', and then put in some 'opt in feature' that they should have done in the first place. And then in their next generation of tvs, they'll do the same thing all over again to see what they can get away with.

I can understand if some people literally have nothing to plug into their tv, they might find a smart tv useful. If this is the case, then maybe there is a market for some smart tvs - I'm just hoping there's always a choice for a non-smart tv - a tv where everything one is paying for, is the size and picture quality itself.

Many of us don't buy a tv to have an additional slow computer with adverts that spy on us. It's for the picture, and then we can plug what we want in to it.

Although you sound like you know what your talking about techniquly.... I disagree with most of what you said. Smart TV is where it is at is you want a no headache time Everytime watch you tv.. all those box suck and fall way short and you waste a lot of money. I have a Samsung and the tv is simple and quick new remote is simple and great. If you add a cable box, or tv box, bluray, surround sound you are jumping all over the place trying to get shit to work so you can watch somethimg. Everything is always resetting itself... Half the time the blue ray which was getting us online freezes, buffers, etc.... Basically.a pain in the ass. Samsung TV one remote can switch you to everything you need most of the time and it is instant and for 55 now going for 500 who's cares if it only.last 5 years go buy a new one with all the new technology for 500 again. I don't know
But I feel like others you were paid to give this advise because it sucks honestly I feel your trying to get people to buy them crappy tv boxes that change constantly and are a waste of money and always leaving you feeling you want your cable back.

It is *anything* but smart. I don't use any of the apps, because they are so poorly implemented and, I admit, because I purchased a cheaper model. That means the CPU power really isn't up the task.

Frequently I've switched on in the morning to catch up with the news and the software decides to update - great - no morning news with my breakfast.

Then there's the fact that it can take 10 to 15 seconds to just switch to 'live tv' mode - text appears on the screen telling me to wait while it boots up.

I'm old enough to remember ancient CRT TV sets that 'warmed up' when you turned them on - a white dot in the middle of the screen. It would take 5 to 10 seconds for the picture to 'settle'

My 'smart' TV takes me right back to that space - but not in a funky retro way, just an annoying way.

My next TV purchase will be a "dumb" "monitor" - lots of HDMI and audio inputs and outputs, NO apps, NO internet - I'll rely on my apple tv, amazon stick and chromecast for streaming needs, plus my home built PVR.

So.....Who are you....You sound all knowledgeable and full of advice, but what qualifies you to give such important advice. You put me off as soon as you mentioned people will hack and watch through your TV. Like another commenter mentioned, nobody cares enough about you or me to sit there staring at us watching TV. Self opinionated fraud with no more experience then sitting in front of a TV. Probably not even experience in electronic retail. My advice to novices would be talk to a few honest sales people from several stores.

I'm glad i read this.i have 2 roku express hooked up to my tv's. I was going to buy a smart tv but now I'll let that thought go. My roku sticks i have about 800 different shows,movies,cartoons,music.ect. I'll buy a 1080 lcd,another stick and enjoy.thank u very much for your help. Oh hula,netflix,hbo go, got em all.

How much did ROKU pay you to write this biased post? I had Roku and now I have an LG smart tv and the smart tv is so much easier to use in every way. The remote is smarter and I don't have to switch to a new "source" on the tv if I want to go stream instead. The only downside for me is that I don't have access to HBO go yet.

Let something go wrong with that smart tv and see how LG does everything they can to NOT do anything for you even if you have an extended warranty. I bought a 55" smart tv that was a floor model (only paid $225 after all the discounts) and the store have me the wrong remote (it was "lost") I bought a recommended universal remote that didn't work so I found that only a very specific remote had to be purchased for my particular model and that took 2weeks to get. Them found that the store had locked the tv so I couldn't use more than half the features and when the LG customer service reps (I spoke to 11 reps and 2 executives for 3 1/2 months) they told me they would not be helping me because I didn't pay enough for the unit. I had to threaten a law suit and filing reports with the AG office, the BBB and going to the news networks to get them to honor their own policies and warranties. The smart part of the tv isn't worth the great deal I got because I have had every issue mentioned so I booked up Chromecast and stream from my phone and/or laptop with way better results. No 2 situations or tv's are going to be the same and I hope that anyone choosing a smart tv gets what they desire. Muy only recommendation is to not buy LG for their absolutely disgusting attempt at customer service. I have posted my experience on many sights hoping to help others as I've read so many similar stories.

Yes, I purchased a top of the line 55" Samsung Smart TV. Of course I hate the "smart" and "Intelligent" words nowadays used to describe any device having a microprocessor and some ROM/RAM, but among my "smart" devices this is the dumbest. In my opinion smart tv's are designed by people without imagination. First the remote control is a piece of crap. I expected something better featuring an included keyboard and touchpad, then the browser is as crude and worse than the first Netscape browser. I even tried to use my iPhone to tame the beast: I quit. In short, I bought an expensive dumb TV.

I have Xfinity for TV and internet. I want to keep Xfinity and the main box in the living room for recording shows, watching OnDemand, etc.
I utilize the computer app and actually using right now and watching TV as I work. XFinity has raised the price of additional adapters to $5.99 /box per month. I am thinking of replacing an older tv by the bar and an older tv in the guest bedroom with smart tvs. Could I use the same Xfiinity app on the smart tvs as I am on my computer to watch tv. I can't see paying the $5.99 x 2 per month for the 10 times or so a year we watch/utilize these extra tvs. Thus, smart tvs to replace our older ones may be the way to go. Thoughts please...and I appreciate it!

I think you have done a great job explaining that Roku or Amazon Firestick or other streaming devices are better and more powerful and secure than the internet connections in the smart TV. Plus the upcharge of the Smart features for the TV are more than the Roku Streaming device per TV. We need 6 TV's in the new house we are building so this article was very very handy and helpful.

You forgot to mention the radiation that is constantly emitted from the Wi-Fi TV, even when it is turned off. That is the real danger and drawback of a smart TV. I've heard that even when the Wi-Fi is turned off, the radiation is still emitted - constantly.

Previously I had a Sony 40" television that I bought in 2007. I had a chromecast hooked to it, along with a ps3 and had to exchange the hdmi cables whenever I wanted to use one or the other since the set top box was plugged into the only other hdmi slot. On black friday weekend my wife and I went out shopping for a new TV and ended up with a 55" LG OLED 4k smart tv on sale for $1800 which is far less than my 40" had cost me years ago. Having a smart tv has been a super convenience in my opinion. I can watch YouTube in full 4k as chromecast only supported 720p. 4k YouTube content looks just awesome with the OLED screen. With smart share I can access all my home movies on the pc without having to turn on the play station to connect through TVersity. There is voice activated search so I can just say the name of a movie and it will find all the sources for it that are available. We also got 3D by accident. I mean the salesguy never mentioned it, but I noticed the 3D button on the remote and it came with a set of 3D glasses. Some 3D looks pretty stunning. Got to say, I'm very pleased with my new Smart TV!

Thank you for nice feedback!
I am working on content discovery of LG TV, and I am very happy to hear this kind of opinion. I wonder what your TV exactly is. 2015 model? 2016 model? E6? B6?
Is there anything more you want from the TV? Please let me know.

I just bought 2 smart tvs after using roku sticks for a couple of years. I love my roku sticks and all the apps but i was trying to decrease remotes needed. One tv i got was a roku smart tv the other a samsung smart tv. I like my roku tv better because there are so many more apps to choose from than samsung. I got a great deal on both so i'm not upset, but i will be adding a roku stick to my "smart" samsung. There goes using only one remote!

This article is ridiculous link bait. It was written as an "assignment " to catch your eye and get you to scroll down and give the advertiser more ad impressions , as well as ad to yrou "online behavior profile". It is not "advice".

I feel like this article would have made a good amount of sense in 2013 or earlier. But in 2016, SMART TV's are rarely more expensive, and are often cheaper than the "dumb-TV" alternate. If they are more expensive, it's by a very small margin. Also, if your SMART TV has issues with running apps and crashing, that's has nothing to due with SMART technology. That most likely just means you bought a crappy brand. I have a 40in Samsung SMART 4K UHD TV that I bought for $300 this year (2016) and the apps work perfectly, the app center is seamless and intuitive. And I don't need to spend an extra $50 on a box that has the same functionality, but also takes up one of the HDMI outputs.

As for the "They are watching" mentality, most likely nobody cares to watch you. Those aren't valid concerns for the average person. Maybe if you were a millionaire or a political figure you would have to worry about people hacking your devices and spying, but since you most likely aren't, there would be no reason for someone to hack your tv to watch you stare at the screen, while you binge Netflix for hours.

As with most things, If you are looking for a TV there are brands to avoid, and brands to look for. LG, Samsung, Sony, Vizio, Panasonic will all do you some good. If it is not one of these brands, There is probably a reason it is cheaper, and should be avoided if you expect it to be a great TV that lasts for years.

Well, I sure appreciate your candid commentary on this subject. COMING from someone who knew absolutely nothing about smart tvs, but a burning desire to learn, I thank you. Simply explainable and best of all, practical and realistic. My other half is old school. so u know what I'll be getting! ALONG with the stick, of course, thanks again.

So, what kind of tv do you recommend to use with the intel computer stick? And even if the intel computer stick just have 2 ram of memory, still better then the chromecast? To transform my tv in a computer, what should I have (kind of tv and computer stick)?
Thank you and I hope you can help me

Wow, this is such a smart article, no pun intended. I bought a "smart" Sony DVD player only to learn that it provides access to an extremely small number of Internet channels, excluding many that I subscribe to via ROKU (hooked up to a different TV). So I have been looking to avoid that same problem as I shop for a new TV. It's nigh onto impossible to learn what the true "smart" capability of a particular TV is in the product write-ups on the internet. Which led me to your site. Your advice to buy a dumb TV and add a ROKU makes perfect sense, and as a ROKU owner already, I should have figured that out. Thanks for pointing me in a smart direction!

Well done. But after you impressive comments/information about smart tvs, you did not suggest an alternative better tv.
In other words, if smart tabs are not worth buying for the price, what other tvs should one buy?

I hate my smart TV for all the reasons listed. They have made it impossible for me to walk in turn it on go to what ever I want, such as U tube to go to a exercise video, when I have only a certain amount of time and I need to be there, do it, and be done, because I have other things to do with my life. And I don't have the patience to figure out all the tech y things I need to do to make all these things work. I thought that was the point of a "Smart TV", they were suppose to do it for me. I want to get rid of my Stupid TV now and go for the Smarter DVD-streaming box on the side again. It works in a reasonable amount of time, and I don't have to know how to do all those computer wiz kids skills to do it.

I can't agree more on how the word smart is mis-used.
I have no patiance to read through the whole thing here = time and my electrosensitivity issue with screen..... but another IMPORTANT reason to mention is the microwave frequencies these t.v.s give off without the option of turning the damn thing OFF.
For an electrosensitive person and for the making of future hypersensitive people this is the worst nightmare.

Unless I missed it, I assume that that you are forever locked-in with the capabilities of your Smart TV, saving for any updates you may receive. Of course, if you do not get updates your Smart TV is soon passed-by as the streaming technology continues to evolve. Probably not a big deal to people who don't watch a lot of TV, but it's a big loss to those who do watch a lot of TV.

If you buy a powerful "Dumb-TV", however, you can keep upgrading your set-top boxes, sticks, what have you, "AND" you are free to go to different providers such as Roku, Amazon, and what ever else comes along, during the life of your TV, not to mention that all those devices are still free to be used on new TV's you subsequently acquire. Those are huge advantages right there that can't be ignored.

I will stay with the utility of buying products from new generations of steaming technology and connecting them to my "Dumb TV", and yes, I have cords, boxes, and plug-ins, here and there, but I'm kinda of a slob anyway.?

Who the heck wants another stupid box and the cables running all over the joint? I'd much much rather Smart TV be further developed, including smart phone interface or make them bluetooth keyboard capable. Cram the extra box. We've had it all and love our Samsung smart TV, connected to the wall outlet and no other wires.

Yeah, agreed! I took a look for a 60-69" hd 4k tv that was just a dumb screen - couldn't find one. I agree with the jist of the article, but I do not think you can get a high quality big screen tv with out it being "smart". I already have a Apple TV and amazon tv, so I do not need the tv to offer even more options that I already have on another device.

So who offers such a thing - no-one as far as I can tell.

I think TV's are in a really frustrating spot currently and I hope do not need to replace the thing for a while, because no one is offering a real good option.

I came across this page because I'm trying to find a solution to accessing my Safari bookmarks (favorite websites) from my iMac to my TV and Airplay is too painfully slow to cut it. I thought a Smart TV would be the solution? After reading this, not so sure :/

The ONLY Smart TV app that I found that worked flawlessly was Skype. If I was ever watching TV, friends and family around the world could see I was home and "available".
I would set up any contacts needed via my laptop where I could type with ease. The remote was only ever good for "accepting" calls... but that was all I ever needed to do with it!
Sadly, Microsoft in their wisdom decided to withdraw Smart TV support and it was forceably removed from my Samsung TV.
Smart TV's will go the way of 3D & Curved Screens... just a FAD!

Haha, that's funny because Skype tends to be buggy and problematic on other platforms (including desktops and mobile devices), at least in my experience. But yeah, I've noticed several apps on my own smart TV have been discontinued since I wrote this article, so that doesn't bode well for the future of Samsung smart TVs. Thanks for sharing, Guy.

This is a rather negative view with many sweeping generalisations. Shop around - there are bargains & great features to be had depending on your own needs & specifications. Prices vary wildly & so do the features available and the quality of them on different brands.
We have a brand new smart tv which is amazing. We didn't go out looking for a smart tv specifically but it came with the model that suited our needs.
There is no camera so no "peeping" concerns - this is the case on many models now.
The remote is voice activated and works well so no lengthy fiddly typing.
The apps work perfectly - Amazon Prime & BBC iPlayer in particular work brilliantly.
The extra features are definitely worth it - 3D is going out of fashion seemingly & is dismissed offhand here as a gimmick. We had 3D on an older tv and thought it was great. We now have 3D cinema in 4K on a 55" screen and it has completely blown us away - it is an absolutely stunning feature & the picture quality is jaw dropping.
We've had fire sticks and other streaming solutions but this particular smart tv is brilliant for us - very impressed. Thought I'd put an alternative point of view to anyone still deciding on a new purchase.

I agree with you..but it's almost like you're forced to to get Smart TV 4k etc..they leave u no options when you're at top tier..they force it upon you..like I find tvs I like and their curved gimmick or 3d don't care..I'll get the 3d and hardly use it if doesn't jack price up and it didn't..I don't see 3d lasting..picture quality is getting better and better..OLED pretty cool..but ppl are nuts unless they have cash to burn.
Way too flawed and in its infancy..why do you think LG only ones who are over their heads imo..great article..just don't think it helps most ppl who are now buying 4k..I don't think you can get 4k wo smart..coz it Has become cheap and assembly lines have been using it for yrs now..it's not new..bought Samsung 47 inch smart tv 1080 for 800 in 2009..that's ridiculous deal..it was ebay..but that was price no auction..

I'm in the market for a replacement tv for my liv rm and was actually curious if I needed to spend the extra cash for the "smart" tv. I bought one for our kids playroom last year and was so disappointed with the menu and interface in general for Netflix, etc, that I donated our Apple TV 2 to the playroom and bought the ATV 4th gen for the liv room.

This article simply confirmed what I suspected, that smart tvs don't have a place for many of us, though based on a few comments I can see they have a place for some, though I would also argue that they are near useless when it comes to interface, which for me is what my experience is based upon. Those of us who have other streaming devices like Rokus and Apple TVs realize quickly that "smart" tvs really aren't worth the trouble.

Yes, smart TV interfaces leave a lot to be desired (at least the ones that I've seen). Good call on going with a Roku. If I didn't have a smart TV, that's definitely what I'd get! Thanks Shawn. Glad you liked the article.

After wasting my money on a so called 3D "smart" TV a few years back, it was a hard job for me to decide on the smart equipment that I really wanted for my already aging "smart" TV based on Netscape OS.

After researching a lot, I settled on the Apple TV 4 and Im glad that I made the right choice!

It just fits all my specific requirements quite well. For example:

-- It can connect to the internet via a more reliable ethernet port which is just amazing for me since it can stream saved content directly off my Seagate NAS in a faster way with no hickups or pauses or freezes.

-- The HDMI out from it is capable of carrying DTS data which means no problem forwarding it my 5.1 AV through optical SPDIF.

-- It is able to send the audio feed to an alternative audio equipment. A pair of my BT JBLs in this case. It really helps when I have to project the video out on a larger screen through my Sony LCD projector.

-- It is capable of connecting to my BT Logitech Keyboard. A sigh of relief when I have type out those long passwords or search queried! Though the updated phone remote app does it equally well too, I just prefer it over the phone anyday as it is way more handy in my case.

-- Its portable. I can connect it to any TV in my home.

-- The provided remote has all the sensors embedded for that awesome TV watching, gaming experience which is just amazing! Its only wonderful that I can control all my three devices (the ATV, TV and HT/AV) with a single remote!

-- The interface is very clean, easy to use, fast and very smooth!

-- The last but not the least - the major one though! This device is App Store ready so there are tons of tons of useful apps that I can install on it everyday with more and more adding up daily! Cool!

I hope this helps someone who really wants to decide between a "smart" TV and a standalone streaming component, and still please stay away from those "smart" TVs in year 2016.

1. Yes of course there is security concerns.. as you said our phones and pcs are also at risk. Why are you trying to scare us so much? Not everyone would have a webcam on their tv and not everyone would keep it powered on all day long.. my laptop has an inbuilt webcam, do I stop using that as well?

2. Yes, the interface is not so great.. but not everyone is worried about the interface all the time. The question is, does it get the job done? Don’t forget, the primary job of the tv is to play videos, rest (apps and other things) is just additional functionality. And fyi, the latest smart tvs have beautiful interfaces. Not all of them suck. Infact it sounds even more cumbersome to use your smartphone all the time instead of a remote. You would want to do other shit on the smartphone instead.

3. Refer point 2

4. Stop cribbing about the damn apps.. they are just an additional feature. And most of your points are very subjective.. not all smart tvs face these problems. They have tons of simple intuitive apps and games that are worth it.

5. Your Roku and chromecast are not compatible with everything and have tons of glitches itself.

6 (bonus). If it is wifi enabled and can stream videos, it's a smart tv. That's why it's called a SMART TV and not a COMPUTER or a SMART BIG PHONE. You wont get all the features of a phone or a pc on it.. IT'S A TV DAMMIT !
Roku sponsored article it seems.

Phone manufacturers are under much more scrutiny, so they get regular security updates. TVs do not. And even if it doesn't have a web cam, the manufacturers collect and sell your viewing habits, and if it has voice control, they even can listen in on your conversations. And even if you trust the manufacturers, the lack of security updates mean hackers can access your TV and turn on the microphone, capture your Netflix password, etc.

Do they even make non-SMART TVs anymore? Maybe this article would have been more useful if they had given some recommendations on what to buy instead. Rather, the article is like "Well, these suck, don't buy 'em.....okay bye!".

Advice please? I was looking at putting in a smart tv into a kitchen diner on ground floor as a second tv and don't want to pay 2nd tv fee to tv company and also no cable going to that part of house.
If I don't go for Smart tv, what dongle / stick would be best to use on a regular tv?
Thanks

HI
This makes some interesting points. Im looking at a smart tv for my elderly parents as free to air is very lacking in shows for them. There is no way they will ever get a smart phone or tablet for Chromecast. I tried showing mum how to send a text with an S2 and she had no idea.
They now have high speed internet in the area, so Im thinking Net flix and other shows will be the way to go... also streaming youtube as I currently download youtube videos for them to watch on USB on their 32 inch LG tv... eg the Two Ronnies... (thats how old they are :)
Im in Australia BTW
Cheers for the opinion piece...

These days, the bigger the screen is, the less likely you'll find "dumb" models. Unfortunately it seems like smartness is just a feature that we'll have to pay for regardless of whether we want it or not. :(

Ahhh, you're right, nik. It seems like non-smart TVs are becoming harder, even impossible, to find. That kinda sucks but I guess it doesn't make sense for manufacturers to make two types for all of their newer models...

I have owned a Samsung smart TV for a few years but will never buy another. I agree the price is just not worth it. I can do more with a Samsung streaming Blu-ray player attached to a plain TV so why pay so much for the same built in to a smart TV?
Great article.

These are all reasons I don't want a smart TV besides I have a PC for anything else that is "smart".....
The issue I'm having is finding newer tech TV's that are not smart TV's. It is really disheartening to know that that uhd TV is $1100+ and for some reason. are only available as smart... Why can't I get all that goodness without the nonsense bloatware that comes with a Smart TV? I bet prices would drop a lot and they could get more buys. It's annoying really.

I wonder if the author ever got further than the first generation smart TVs. My LG and its WebOS2 is amazing, its apps are pretty much flawless, input inside the Netflix and other apps are just like the roku. I have a chromecast as well, but never use it anymore because the TV has chromecast tech on itself.
The apps never freeze on me, update by themselves and I have plenty of options in the app store.

Also, the link software mentioned allows for a single remote to control blueray,audio set, etc. This is NOT minor point.

Honestly, this article reeks of resentment of having bought the wrong TV and failing at it.
Enjoy living in the past.

Amazon sells chinese android sticks for almost nothing.
stick it on hdmi, put a usb hub (with own power suuply) to have a wireless mouse, an external hdd, and even a ethernet/usb converter if you want to avoid wifi-
Not as good as chromecast, I guess, but good enough for youtube and your dwnloaded movies, etc...

Gotta agree with the author. I've witnessed all this first hand and will never buy another smart TV or BlueRay device with the intention of using its' smart features. Worthless crap. Get a TV settop box or Chromecast, much better money spent. If you already have a PC or phone, a Chromecast is all you need.

I agree with this analysis. The good parts of flat screen TV's (great picture, great looking on a wall) are buried in worthless Smart TV software applet features that do not really work but set expectations. To make matters worse, every peripheral you buy now (BluRay, DVD players, etc., etc) has managed to duplicate these next to worthless applets, creating even more confusion and the illusion of unsatisfactory performance.

If an android operating system can be put in a cellphone, it can be put in a flat screen TV. Why is this not being done.

I get the issue with the Microsoft Windows 10... that is the metro apps that have so far been developed (as opposed to the desktop apps) are even worse than the Smart TV apps. And the Microsoft apps like their Media Center have been abandoned. So no one would want Windows 10 in their flat screen TV. But a Samsung flat screen with an android operating system interface would be pretty exciting!

Thanks for the detail about using players etc. I intend buying a smart tv plus a blu-ray dvd player and hd definition recorder. Due to what you stated I will certainly forget about a smart tv, as using both will very complicating - for me anyhow.

If you have DirecTV, and want to use their RVU technology without purchasing another Genie Mini at a tune of $99, and a $69 fee for the tech to come out and set it up. A DirecTV Ready Smart TV is worth it. There are not a lot of models to choose from is what I found out, but if you get one as I did in a 32" Samsung LED Model which is all the bigger I needed at this time, it works great. Now you have to have a hard wired connection so that it picks up the RVU DirecTV server from the main Genie system box, but aside from that it has played great, with a clear picture. One key thing they stressed is make sure that you update the firmware before connecting. I did that, and things have been working great, with a clear picture, a little 3 to 5 second delay when it is connecting to the RVU server, but other than that it has worked great. We have even watched a few movies from Amazon and had no issues with it playing. For my intent and purpose this was just as cost effective as buying the same TV as a dumb TV at about the same price only saving would have been about $50 to $60. Bottom line do your research, and know what you are looking at and what you plan on using it for.

I agree with all of your reasons for the deficits that the so called smart tv's have along with the privacy concerns. However even if they are in your words obsolete which is true the simple fact is that they like a lot of things say your smart phones, Windows 10 etc not going any where. The biggest reason is that they all regardless of what OS they run have a app stores as a key feature of their interfaces. In the case of smart phones, that would be Android and iOS and the big push for universal usage of Windows 10, the Mac OSX does not really count because of its very small user base in comparison to the use of Windows. If you are in the market for any of the TV's that are in the high end of the spectrum regardless of brand are all smart TV's. I am saving up for an LG UHD OLED TV and these simply are not available in a so called dumb configuration without 3D tech built in. Your recommendation to simply not to buy a smart tv in 2016 is just plain miss informed and silly. The only limitations and security vulnerabilities that the so called smart tv's have is only a problem if you connect them to the internet. Given the popularity of all of the various streaming set top boxes that are flooding into the market place I bet that most if not all of them are connected to a smart tv because the owners realize the limitations and poor implementation of the smart features that are on their TV's I have not done an in depth study of what it available in the whole tv market but I bet that anyone interested in getting a 4K UHD TV will be hard pressed to find one that is not a smart TV.

I personally use my HDTV's in a non standard way, I have a Yamaha AVR connected to my older Vizio 1080P TV. I am an avid gamer and have the following connected to the AVR, a PS3, PS4, a new gaming PC that dual boots between Wiindows 10 and the Steam OS, an older PC workstation/gaming PC running Windows 7 Ultimate and an Nvidia Shield Android TV set top box. Along with my older Vizio purchased back in 2007 which does not have any smart features I also have a 32" LG HD 3D TV that is used as my workstations primary monitor. The LG is a smart TV but it has never even had my Verizion Fios connected to it let alone being connected to the internet. I am connected enough with all of the other devices. My current 1080P TV's are still working well in spite of being on almost 24/7 since they were new and have served me well but I now am interested in enjoying 4K replacements.

Complete falsities. Mt Vizio 60" 4K smart tv is a joy to use. Single button on the (full qwerty remote) to get to YouTube/ Netflix. I have the Android box on my lesser TV's, and what a buggy POS that is.

Vizio is considered mid range at best. But I have to say having owned three of them now they really perform quite well. And the QWERTY thing really was surprising. The front of the remote looks like any regular, but when you flip it over it looks like a mini BT kb.

Smart TV’s are just a waist of time and money.
That only thing that I look at when purchasing a TV is what is the response time and screen type.
As this is the monitor for a PC's, and most of this are not even so called top brands.
There is no LG nor Samsung or even Panasonic,
I have vizio, sceptre, TLC, and Proscan, what do all of this TV's have in particular they all have 4 Millie second response and 476-592 DPI.
All but one have cost under $589.00 the vizio cost $1290.00 7 years ago and it is still working.
As for watching the net they are using PC, all but one that uses an android box that cost $44.00.
The box is used with xbmc now kodi, I had purchased a roku but it did not work when I moved to south America.
I Had to return roku it was a waist of time a money.
And to that other bad point would I buy a 4k TV, that would be a no.
on less you make your movies at 4k it is not worth it, plus at this time there are so few TV's that will display at or over 60 FPS.
And most of all there is no stander for 4k TV's.
And to top it of all smart TV's where supposed to be up graded, none of then ever got a firmware up date.
There are at least 2 points to my use, first is cable cutting a second is no need for a monitor.
Plus I get to pick what I want to view, and have my choice of OS and how secured it is.
There are no restrictions of content, nor what country can I use it in.
In other words no limitations.

Interesting stuff but I feel written for readers in the UK / Europe / USA or highly developed Far Eastern markets. The TV coverage for people like myself in SE Asia can be very limited and of poor quality without IPTV so why not go for one built in especially when Android based smart tv's are no more expensive than others now and with 4k tv there is virtually no difference in one with or without android smart capability.
I have an android set top box at the moment, it is good but better operated with a mouse than with a remote, an all in one may be better.

Hi Alan, you're right. This was written from the perspective of a U.S. smart TV owner and I wouldn't be surprised if some (or all) of it didn't apply to the Far East. Do you not have things like Roku or Chromecast over there? I guess there's an issue with service availability (Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, etc)?

The technology is moving faster than most people are able to keep up. For simple TV viewing, SMART TVs are not so bad. I bought one only to replace an older Panasonic which had class action suits on that model! The price for the reg vs smart was insignificant and I wanted to dump my cable. Despite me working in IT, I find it impossible to keep up with all the gadgets to control the TV and the corresponding learning curves (not to mention the amount of research I end up putting into each little darn device I have to buy) and then troubleshooting issues etc. I am lately feeling like all this is only complicating my life and taking away the pleasure of just relaxing with a TV for a short while! I love computers and am savvy and yet, when they break, I end up researching/fixing, again my precious time taken away from other fruitful hobbies I have. Sorry for the ranting, basically I just wanted to say that I have got no time to keep up with all the gadgets and if I can stream Netflix (albeit the interface is clunky) on my SMART tv and settle down with family, I am fine with it! I don't want to control my TV with ipad or iphone etc. all of which I have.

I agree, whilst I am in IT also, I like to know that my non-tech savvy wife can sit down to watch streaming media etc without having to ask me how to do it every 5 minutes!

I think that's the main appeal of the smart TV, it's for all those people who don't have the time or inclination to go searching for the best media player, USB stick but who just want a TV they can stream stuff from....

I have set up plex at home & with our samsung smart TV it couldn't be simpler for the wife to watch whatever she wants without ever having to hassle me :)

@UK, I am the wife here that sets up wireless routers and fixes PC issues etc, :) I just don't want to spend hours of my time buying gadgets/fixing gadgets etc. adding to the complexity of life anymore.

We bought a LG Smart TV in 2011 -- there aren't many smart apps left since apparently LG doesn't want to support them on a 4+ year old TV. This is off topic but cars are even a bigger problem - automakers do not seem to be interested in maintaining or upgrading their smart software either.

I got a Sony smart tv and would not do without it. First theres no camera or microphone on the tv, and i would not do without Netflix.
The above artickel is some strange "I could not find better things to write"
Smarttv`s are great.and in my country they are not much more expensive than a plain tv.

Well, in my case I feel like the smart TV offers no benefits over a dumb TV + streaming device, and I want people to know that there are better alternatives to the smart TV. It does change depending on your country though. I only have U.S. experience so that's all I can speak on.

I have been using Zotac Box, with my 27" LCD monitor for past 3 years, now I switched to Raspberry Pi with Kodi on it and my "TV" can do far more than my friends 1200$ Samsung Smart TV. Now I am just thinking about buying bigger screen, so some 50" TV will be enough.. All I need is good image quality, the rest is taken care of. In a few years when many today's smart TVs become obsolete, I can just swap the Raspberry Pi, which is 50$ item, and I am future proofed again, no need to buy new TV.

That's true. A lot of the higher-end (or maybe all?) only come in smart varieties, which is a shame. I guess the takeaway is that whenever you have a choice between smart and dumb TV models, just go for the dumb one unless they are exactly the same price. Thanks hildyblog!

I prefer to pick a normal TV (which often cost less than a smart TV), and choose myself the smart device that will power it. The price difference between a normal and smart TV will often be more than the cost of the device and won't be left unsupported for at least a while longer than TV apps.

Yes... Chromecast is exactly what a smarttv does, it is just called Chromecast instead. Never let a 3rd party device access your network without you knowing in details what it is sending back and forth.

1. You have to use another device to control it. That's fine if you're already married to your phone, tablet or PC in your living room or bedroom, but it's fairly lame if you want a simple experience. It's also problematic if someone who doesn't have one of those things wants to use it for some reason, or for slow-on-the-tech-uptake folks.

2. It absolutely requires internet access to function. Granted, so does Netflix. But if you have media files and you just want a way to show them on a TV, Chromecast isn't the way to do that.

3. Chromecast doesn't support some audio formats. I hope you didn't really want to hear anything encoded with DTS. Chromecast also doesn't support alternative audio outputs, which may or may not be acceptable for people who have sound bars, bluetooth speakers or A/V receivers lacking HDMI inputs.

4. Chromecast doesn't support proper Ethernet. I hope you like occasional dropped connections because your neighbor is using their microwave.

5. Chromecast is a level of vendor lock-in with Google, just as Apple TV is for Apple. Some Chromecast features are a lot less useful or interesting if you aren't already a big fan of Google software or services.

I try very hard to steer people toward FireTV or Roku boxes rather than any form of "stick"-style device. There's no perfect set top box, but at least the box-style devices have real remote controls and some options for network and audio connectivity rather than being "one size fits some" like the Chromecast.

Roku is such a great piece of technology. I wasn't aware that there were TVs with Roku built in, that sounds pretty cool. Might fall into the same troubles as smart TVs in a few years though, depending on how well Roku does. The smart TV firmware updates are pretty annoying! And slow. So slow.

we did buy a Smart TV about 2 years ago. all above is absolutely correct. The only thing I would potentially value for having TV connected to the Internet is to make use of Netflix. but for the price difference I could have bought an Apple TV, have same and better futures. Smart TV is instantly outdated anyhow. So I do not suggest a Smart TV

Yeah, Netflix (and occasionally HBO GO and Amazon Prime) are the only things I use the "smart" functions for, and those can easily be replicated with a cheap media stick. Definitely outdated, imo. Thanks Na Me!